What Is the Western NY Hosta Society and How Can You Join Its Events?

Updated

The Western NY Hosta Society is a group of people in Western New York who enjoy growing and learning about Hosta and genus gardening. It is a local, community-oriented society rather than a commercial nursery or a national organization, and its events are centered in the Buffalo and Western New York area. If you live in or near that region and want to connect with other shade gardeners, the society's public events and email updates are the main ways to take part.

What the Society Is

According to the Western NY Hosta Society's own site, it describes itself simply as "a group of people in Western NY that enjoy the world of Hosta and genus gardening." Two things follow from that description:

  • It is local. The focus is Western New York, with events in and around Buffalo and nearby communities such as West Seneca.
  • It is interest-based, not commercial. The shared subject is the genus Hosta and shade gardening, sometimes described as gardening with the "friendship plant."

If you already grow hostas, or you are starting a shade garden and want practical local knowledge, this is the kind of group built around that interest.

Types of Events the Society Hosts

The society's published calendar shows a mix of social, educational, and public sales events. Based on the site's listed upcoming events, the pattern looks like this:

Event What it appears to be Location / time noted
Hosta Wine and Whirlaway A social gathering at a hosta farm Murray's Hosta Farm, 5–8 PM (June 25)
Buffalo Garden Art Sale A garden art sale Buffalo Botanical Gardens (June 27–28)
Hosta Tea A society gathering Date listed (July 25)
Hosta, Daylily and Iris Public Sale A public plant sale Vigilant Fire Company, West Seneca, 9 AM–1 PM (August 1)
Members Picnic A members' social event Date listed (August 30)

A few useful observations from this list:

  • Some events are open to the public. The Hosta, Daylily and Iris Public Sale is explicitly a public sale, so you do not need to be a member to attend and buy plants.
  • Some events are social. The wine gathering, tea, and picnic suggest the society functions as a community, not just a lecture series.
  • Some events are tied to other gardens. The Buffalo Garden Art Sale takes place at the Buffalo Botanical Gardens, so it may be a broader garden event the society participates in or promotes.

How to Get Event Details

The site's clearest instruction for updates is: "Watch for details via HostaFlash emails." That means the society distributes event specifics—times, locations, and any changes—through an email list called HostaFlash.

If you want to attend an event, the practical path is:

  1. Get on the HostaFlash email list. This is the society's stated channel for event details, so it is the first thing to arrange.
  2. Check the listed dates as a starting point. The site gives dates and locations for events like the June 25 wine gathering, the June 27–28 art sale, the July 25 Hosta Tea, the August 1 public sale, and the August 30 members picnic.
  3. Confirm before you travel. Because the site says to watch for details via email, treat the posted dates as the framework and rely on HostaFlash for final confirmation.

The site does not publish a sign-up form, contact address, or membership fee in the material available here, so the exact steps to join the email list or become a member are not specified. If you are local, the most reliable next step is to look for the society's contact or membership information directly on wnyhosta.com.

Who This Is For

The society fits you if:

  • You live in or can travel to Western New York, especially the Buffalo area.
  • You grow hostas or want to start a shade garden and prefer learning from local growers.
  • You want a social, in-person gardening community rather than only online information.
  • You are interested in the wider genus Hosta and shade-gardening topics, not just one plant variety.

It is probably not the right fit if you are outside the region and looking for a national membership organization, or if you want a purely online resource—the value here is in local events and in-person connection.

Bottom Line

The Western NY Hosta Society is a Western New York group for hosta and shade-gardening enthusiasts. You can participate by attending its public events—such as the August 1 Hosta, Daylily and Iris Public Sale in West Seneca—and by following its HostaFlash emails for confirmed details. Membership specifics and fees are not stated in the available site material, so check wnyhosta.com directly for how to join.